The Prince of Tennessee: The Rise of Al Gore

by David Maraniss

Book Overview

Looks at the life and political career of Vice-President Al Gore, detailing the factors that have shaped his life, his beliefs, and his goals.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743204115
• ISBN13: 9780743204118
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

To understand Al Gore, you must read this

I was a huge Al Gore supporter, and then I read this book... and I still am a Gore supporter. It was great to finally understand the man and why he acts the way he does. This provides a very in-depth look at his character and personality, and why he has that tendency to "stretch" the truth a bit.The section about Gore's service in Vietnam also answers many questions. Gore actually was affected by the experience, and that's no lie.I have decided from reading this book that Gore will definitely run again in 2004, and the reason I think so deals with his father. Read the book and you'll agree.

Al Gore, Meet Al Gore.

Fearing the worst and expecting little, a pleasant surprise awaited me in these pages. Not junk-writing or caricature as in the Turque scrod "Inventing Al Gore", but as complex as the subject of Al Gore is, you find him in here. This author, David Maraniss, worked and investigated and created a real picture, not just a mockery of a man's life. The author claims some 500 interviews were conducted, and I believe him. Albert Gore is a man who has always expected perfection in himself, and was never satisfied with much less. Is this a fault in the man who may well be our next President and leader of the free world? I think not. And this many-faceted, unauthorized autobiography gives us the best moments and many of the very-well researched 'bad' moments that happen in a man's life, a man who can only be described as intense and thorough in every thing he attempts. As a young student, living in Washington, DC and attending St. Albans, he becomes a 3-letter man, and the Captain of his football team. Never one to run from a fight, he occasionally ends up on the bench after defending himself or a teammate against over-rough play from the other side. A leader in his own right, many interviews with former students show how Gore was seen as everything from self-centered to very studious, jocular to very quiet, and everything in-between. Why? Taking the 'hard right over the easy wrong,' a theme of his recent acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency, came from these early years and was reinforced by his father, Senator Albert Gore Senior, on his deathbed, looking at his son for the last time, and saying "Always do right," his last words. Although his political opponents used a donkey cart to caricature Gore's working in the tobacco fields, this book shows that the only asses pulling that cart were the Republicans. Every summer, during his teenage years, young Al Gore was taken home to work the tobacco fields his family had held for generations, right along with his dad and hired hands. And he hated his work in the fields, but honored his father with his labors. It was his obligation. His years at Harvard were defined by the intensity and clear thinking he brought to the classroom. Instructors interviewed for the book knew he was the type of thinking man who could end up in an important position in Washington...although Al Gore steadfastly denied any such ambitions. And there is no evidence to the contrary. Martin Peretz, who would become the Editor-in-Chief of the weekly magazine "The New Republic," recently wrote in the magazine that Gore was the brightest of the bright from the first day in the class he taught at Harvard, and has never disappointed him since then. When Bill Clinton was vetting his candidates for his "A" list for Vice President, he was told time and time again, Al Gore is a man that sticks with you and supports you, "He will never knife you in the back." When preparing his e

Informative read

This book provides an excellent account of Al Gore's political and personal life, and is certainly not "fluffy" or "vicious," it is a piece of solid journalism on a difficult subject. This book will be helpful to me as I think about the options facing me at the voting booth.

David Maraniss does not let the reader down

The Prince of Tennessee is a very good biography, but not perfection like FIRST IN HIS CLASS. It is well researched, evenhanded,interesting, and insightful. Especially absorbing is the description of the Senior Al Gore and his wife Pauline. Al Gore's sister Nancy is covered in great detail also. The analysis of Gore's personality seems to be based on over 500 interviews and much research. I enjoyed the book immensely, wished it were much longer, but don't know if those not obsessed with politics to the degree I am will find it as fascinating.

Insightful from start to finish

Anyone who thinks Al Gore isn't a fascinating character study needs to read this book. David Maraniss and Ellen Nakashima bring him to life in vivid detail, probing deeply into the psyche of the man who may be our next president. This may not satisfy either fervent fans or rabid critics, but for the rest of us trying to understand what makes a candidate tick, "Prince of Tennessee" opens the door into Al Gore's private world. It's a compelling read.